2 weeks down!

So it has been 2 weeks since we started this 30 day challenge and the girls are doing great!!! Today I am posting some answers from one of the beautiful girls pictured here. I love that she is finding a way to make her weight loss work for her, her goal is to get back to a previous weight and she is using the resources she has to achieve it. Proud of her!!!!



-Why am I doing this (weight loss/the blog)? I have recently hit one of those nice round birthdays that make you go hmmmm, so this was kind of my New Year's resolution - make some changes and shed some weight after spending the previous decade having babies, lol
I was about a week into it when I saw Jen's invitation to join her for the 30 day photo challenge and figured that would be a great push and motivation (it's always better when you have someone to keep you accountable).

-What is going well or what are you surprised about?
I am basically just trying to cut the junk, the empty carbs and sugars. I also try to make dinner the lightest meal of my day (and no eating afterwards!) and basically just eat smaller portions of everything on all my meals. Another important change is that I force myself (yes, force!) to eat breakfast and even though it is not "Jen approved" (cereal haha) it does make a difference and helps keep me satisfied until lunch time.
Last but not least, I got one of those 30day workout DVDs to combine with the 30 day photo challenge so I am excited to see results after this first month :)

I have been surprised at how NOT hungry I am, even with eating much less.  The first 3 days were though but I think the body adjusts fairly quickly and the fact that I choose better things to eat, even in smaller portions, keeps my tummy fuller for a  longer time.... I don't even miss chocolate that much!

-What are you finding is difficult?
I have to admit it is...Patience! I want the weight to she faster and I want my body to show the changes faster! Watching the biggest loser contestants lose 8-12 lbs a week can be frustrating but I remind myself that they are in a different setting and I just have to stay focused on my own weight goal. Jen's semi-public challenge is really helping with that :)

174 -2lbs

Awesome Job ladies dropping the weight!! You inspire me,

230.6   -9lbs!!!!

I better kick it into high gear to catch up!!!!

166 -3.4lbs!

190  -4lbs!!!

What kind of life do you want to live?

Wouldn't it be nice to live your life fully and without fear? I have been thinking a lot about my dad lately and one of the memories that keep coming to mind is 2 days before he died. We (my whole family) had a garage sale at my parents house that weekend. A man had come to the sale and bought and inexpensive table saw, he needed to haul it home but had no way to do it. I went and asked my dad if he would use his truck to haul it to this gentleman's home. Of course, he said "sure!" He was gone 2 hours! We were starting to get worried when he finally showed up. We asked him what happened? why did it take so long? He said "I sat and had a beer with him, he said he was out of work and he appeared to be handy so I gave him a job, he starts next week"  I remember thinking.... you don't even know this man? Is he even going to show up? Is he qualified to do the job your asking? Is he being truthful?.... and so on.
That was my dad, he would give ANYONE a chance, he didn't care if you attended the school of hard knocks or Harvard university, he felt everyone deserved the same respect and chance at life.

To live a life fully, without fear or regret.... that is how I want to LIVE.
How do you want to LIVE your life? How are you going to achieve it????

Awesome day!

Secondly we had a super fun bootcamp where we celebrated 2 milestone birthdays, I love this group of people we all have the same goals, the same aspirations, and truly care for one another. I am truly blessed! What I struggled with today........ hungry again at 4:00 and again tonight at 8:00. At 4:00 I get like I could just devour everything in sight! This is where it is extremely important NOT to have foods in the house that are not allowed!
My weight a bit up, probably from the 4lbs of fluid on my knee!

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Day 11

What has been going well for me: I always start my day off well with a good breakfast I have good energy. I have lunch of which I feel like is a good sustainable lunch and I have a mid afternoon snack.
Here is the bad part.... I get really hungry at about 4:00 and at about 8:00 REALLY hungry! I eat a good dinner but my dinner is always my lightest meal of the day. Lately it has been taking an act of will to keep from devouring all that I can find. THIS is why I don't keep any junk food or spare dark chocolate in the house because if I did it would be gone!!!! Sometimes my will power gets the best of me :)  
My weight is up and down a pound. I'm happy I lost 2 last week only wish it was a steady decline, wouldn't that be nice!!

Day 10

20 days left! I am noticing changes in the girls, I don't know if they are but I do! I can't wait until the end and put the first and 30th picture together.
Today we had a kids carnival at school. lunch was a nitrate filled hotdog with chips and a full of sugar drink box. Glad I ate before I went! I did however let the kids partake, I felt like a bad mom knowing what I was allowing them to have, but I also feel like I am not going to raise them to not make their own choice. I let them decide if they wanted to eat at home or there and they decided there. I am okay with that! They are learning, and at home they make good choices, not always but MOST of the time.
Tonight we had my nieces birthday party. Chili, which I had it was good with ground turkey, maybe a little high on the sodium but overall not a bad dish to have. I skipped the cornbread, ate lots of veggies and passed on the cake and ice cream. I made a coco protein shake instead.
It felt good to be in control of my day and what I put into my body. Did I desire the things I passed on? No, not really. 6 months ago I would have said, "I wish I could have the cake and ice cream" or "i will just have a little cornbread"
I realize how important it is to start your day off right. Today I had protein pancakes I will list the recipe below. I have found that I try to take something easy like pancake mix and make it work for ME. This is not to say your going to love it, but my family did. I wanted something that had a lot of protein and filled my belly and left me satisfied.

protein pancakes

3/4 cup of arrowhead mills organic sprouted grain pancake mix

3/4 cup egg whites

1 Tbsp of coconut oil (this comes in a jar and is in a solid state, put in a small glass bowl and warm it for 20 sec then measure out 1tbsp)

1 scoop of protein powder

Mix together and pour into a non stick skillet, I use coconut oil instead of olive oil to coat the pan. 

Top with fresh berries! 

Something to think about: log cabin, mrs. butterworth syrup HIGHLY processed so far from real ingredients. Pure maple syrup a better option but FULL of calories 1 Tbsp 210 calories!!!

Other option, pure fruit jelly 30 calories. I don't know about 

you but I would much rather have the fresh fruit or jelly and save my calories!!!! Enjoy!

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Day 9

What going well? I am motivated, motivated to keep pushing towards my goal and my new goals! Which I might share is to get totally ripped by January 4th 2014 :) I want to see how far I can push my body, how strong physically and mentally I can get and how much I can learn :)
What is not going well or what I am frustrated with? My knee... still! I have a lot of pain more than what I verbalize. My fear is that I will go through all this now and end up still needing surgery. I REALLY dislike the thought of that.

I am motivated by the 4 beautiful and lovely ladies that are working so hard along side of me. They encourage me just as much as I encourage them. I love sharing what I have learned and seeing people get motivated to make a change! It just takes a step however big or small... you decide!

I like fat

And I'm not talking about that jelly roll I have going on in my belly. I like healthy fats! I love avocado, butter, nuts, peanut butter. Those things are all good for you but when you are at a point where I am at trying to take of the last bit of weight......It's not gonna help! So I need to cut back on those nice healthy fats for a bit and then add them back in a few days, then taper off and add them back in. For me my body likes fats, it does not like carbs. So when I cut way back on healthy fats I still feel hungry and I feel lightly hungry until my next meal. And when I am hungry.... look out! My mood gets bad, I get irritated, and if it goes on too long I get really emotional. That is what I am most frustrated about now.
Crazy how food or lack of food can do that to you! My trainer has said this and I am currently reading a book that states we are malnourished!  "Things we put into our mouths are industrialized, commercialized, diminished in nourishment and toxic in many cases. The result is that many of us are suffering from malnutrition. What? In a country with more food than any other country? with more than 2/3rds of north America overweight? Yes, malnutrition means you don't consume enough needed nutrients or you consume too many calories that are deficient in needed nutrients." Taken from Good foods/ Bad foods by Judith DeCava
Now that I am on this side of things I really understand it, but the hard part is our brains have been given mixed messages from food manufactures with things like: cereal, with added fiber and fortified nutrients that is supposedly good for us and will provide us with what we need. NOT TRUE! only real food, real nutrients will provide our bodies with what we need.
If you are interested in this, I encourage you to get a book like the one I have listed, or the ones listed to the right about nutrition. And remember even small changes are important!
Jen

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